With your help, SafeHouse Denver provides emergency shelter, extended stay housing, non-residential advocacy-based counseling, and more to survivors of domestic violence and their children. Our ability to provide these often life-saving services for free is possible because of the generosity of our community. Thank you for considering a donation!
Can I tell you a story? I want to share so that it might help others. When I tell my story, I start by saying…
It happened to me.
We were friends first. Then it became more and we started making plans to retire together. I had worked so long and already raised a family. I was ready to settle down, so I moved to Texas with him. I started noticing changes in his behavior: verbal shaming, gaslighting, overreacting. He would ignore me if I didn’t do as he asked. Then he cut me off financially.
If I didn’t conform, I’d be punished.
I found out he was unfaithful. I felt so stupid for believing that he was the one. I was ashamed. I just kept trying to understand him to try to change how I behaved. I came home one day and he pushed me with his chest. He says that never happened.
Another time, I woke up on the floor and didn’t remember how I got there. To this day, I still don’t know.
My daughter flew in and we packed my things. I never felt safe in Texas, but I heard that Colorado was safe. We drove as far as we could in three days.
I just wanted to find a safe place.
Once I was connected to SafeHouse Denver, all of the signs pointed to safety. My Advocate was the only person I talked to for so long. I had recurring nightmares - a lot of fears, so I didn’t leave the house. COVID normalized that, but my isolation was out of fear. SafeHouse Denver taught me so much – not just about how to heal, but about myself.
It’s euphoric, the confidence that SafeHouse has given me.
Now I have a good job and I don’t have to look over my shoulder all the time. I may have taken the most difficult route, but it was worth it.
When you think of “why” this work needs to be done, think of me. I am proof that healing is possible.
I can’t imagine having to go through this process without SafeHouse by my side. There are a lot of us survivors out there, and I am so glad SafeHouse is here. They have earned their name – they truly are a safe house!Thank you for the opportunity to share my story, and for supporting SafeHouse Denver.
With deep gratitude,
Melanie G.
SafeHouse Denver's mission is to assist adults, children and youth in reclaiming their right to a life free from domestic violence.
SafeHouse Denver strives to:
• intervene in domestic violence with services that empower adults, children and youth to live free from abuse.
• prevent domestic violence through education efforts that foster and support a broad movement for violence-free communities.
• facilitate an interactive, collaborative community response to relationship violence that identifies survivors earlier, makes survivor services more accessible and builds community awareness and accountability.
In 1977, five courageous women established an Emergency Shelter for women and children fleeing from domestic violence, calling it SafeHouse for Battered Women. In the early '90s, we changed our name to SafeHouse Denver and opened a non-residential Counseling & Advocacy Center to address the needs of those pursuing intervention services, but not necessarily emergency shelter.
In the summer of 2018, our long-term vision of opening an Extended Stay Program (ESP) was realized. The ESP provides safe, independent apartments for Shelter residents who are out of acute crisis but in need of short-term housing.
Since our founding, SafeHouse Denver has expanded education and outreach efforts, especially to bilingual individuals, low to middle-income individuals, older adults, teens, the LGBTQ+ community and other populations at high risk for domestic violence. Today, SafeHouse Denver is the only agency in the city and county of Denver providing a full continuum of trauma-informed care for survivors of domestic violence and their children.
For the past 46 years, and as we look toward the future, SafeHouse Denver remains committed to providing high-quality, compassionate programs and services to survivors of domestic violence and the broader community that is ultimately impacted by this issue. We thank you for standing alongside us in this important effort.
Organization name
SafeHouse Denver, Inc
1977
Tax id (EIN)
84-0745911
Category
Human Services
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
1649 N. Downing StreetDenver County, CO, US
Phone
303-318-9959
Other
303-318-9989
Fax
303-318-9979
Other
303-302-6126